The Motorola portfolio of smartphones for 2024 includes no less than 30 models. There has been a fresh set of Edge 50 phones, two new foldables, a handful of Moto G affordable devices and even a ThinkPhone as a nod to Lenovo – Motorola’s parent company.
There have been some impressive devices, while others disappointed. Here’s our take on what went well and what flopped.
Winner: Motorola Razr 50 Ultra/razr+ 2024
The world of foldables had a slower year than usual, but Motorola is one of the companies that made a huge gain despite the stagnation. The Razr 50 Ultra is one of the major reasons, as the clamshell improved over the already impressive predecessor. The foldable panel lacks any major creases, and the chipset was extremely fast for a phone in this category.
The new razr is finally waterproof, and we got a telephoto lens as well.
Only a few companies offer clamshell foldables outside of China, and we applaud Motorola for bringing the Razr 50 Ultra (sold as razr+ 2024 in the US) to international markets.
Loser: Motorola Razr 50/razr 2024
While we are on the topic of foldables, we cannot miss the vanilla Razr 50. Sure, the phone got some of the perks of the Razr 40 Ultra, but camera-wise, it failed to impress. There’s also the abysmal performance of the Dimensity 7300 chipset, which feels like an insult to everyone willing to spend €800 on a smartphone.
Motorola launched the Razr 50 (aka razr 2024 in the US) as a more affordable alternative to the Ultra, and as such, it is bound to come with some compromises. Sadly, it decided to remove the adapter from the box under the vague pretext of being environmentally conscious. This argument falls short, given the bulky case in the retail box.
Motorola Razr 50 Ultra
| 512GB 12GB RAM | € 759.17 |
£ 779.00 |
| Show all prices | ||
Winner: Motorola Edge 50 Neo
Motorola managed to position this year’s Neo in its own category – a light phone with a fairly small screen with the price and performance of a midranger. It is IP68-rated, the screen and battery are great, and it even comes with wireless charging.
The Edge 50 Neo is also a lovely-looking phone. All its color options were co-selected with Pantone, and all five paint jobs are stunning.
The Edge 50 Neo recently launched in Mocha Mousse, the 2025 Pantone Color of the Year. It is said to be inspired by cacao, chocolate and coffee. Sure, looks are subjective, but this new color is yet another bold push from Motorola.
The color matching case is another nice touch about the Edge 50 Neo.
Motorola razr+ 2024
| 256GB 12GB RAM | $ 549.95 |
$ 899.99 |
| Show all prices | ||
Loser: Motorola Edge 50
The Edge 50 family has five members, and the vanilla option is easily the most forgettable. While the phone does have a competitive starting price of €500, its dated Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset immediately puts it on the back foot.
We reviewed the phone several weeks ago, and the battery test was downright unimpressive. Also, despite the Edge 50 having an OLED panel, Motorola omitted the AOD feature. However, it might be for good to keep the poor battery from being even more disappointing.
Motorola Edge 50
The Edge 50 is not a total disaster. It still has a thin, light body, and the panel on the back is not slippery, making the phone easy to handle. The device is IP68-certified and military-graded for durability and resistance to extreme temperatures. The cameras are also nice, even if the app struggles to keep up.
Winner: Pantone partnership
We already discussed the Edge 50 Neo and its colors, but we must also mention Motorola’s partnership with Pantone.
It is pretty simple: The phone company is given the right to use trademarked names and paint jobs for its phones, while Pantone gets brand exposure and showcases its sharp colors on different materials, such as leather, plastic, and glass.
Pantone is the go-to company for colors in a number of industries. It provides consistency and a reliable color guide, which print houses, factories, and manufacturing plants use.
Speaking specifically about the Moto and Edge phones, we have seen some stunning options in the past 12 years. A number of phones, including the Edge 50, Edge 50 Ultra, and Razr 40 Ultra, are selling in Peach Fuzz, the 2024 Color of the Year. This year’s top foldable received the Mocha Mousse treatment.
Even when Motorola decided not to pay for the naming rights in the Moto G series, we still saw some daring colors, such as a Purple Moto G85, a Green Moto G35 and our favorite, a Twilight Purple Moto G55.
Loser: Moto G series
We wanted to pick one Moto G smartphone but struggled to determine which was the worst. So we present Motorola’s biggest flop of 2024 — the Moto G series.
We understand that Moto G phones are meant to be affordable, but Motorola cut too many corners to keep the price low. The G35 went for an unimpressive Unisoc chip while keeping the 5,000 mAh battery with 18W charging from the predecessor; the G55 was barely an upgrade over the predecessor, and for some reason, Motorola skipped on a Moto G65.
Motorola Moto G35
The company did launch a Moto G75, which is currently more expensive than the Edge 50 Fusion despite its less powerful CPU, slower wired charging and basic camera set.
The tour of disappointment ends with the Moto G85, which is hardly a worthy upgrade over the G84, despite some impressive feats like the improved main and selfie cameras.
Notable mention: Firmware updates
Motorola has been behind the competition when it comes to software updates for a while now. Luckily, the company stepped up its game in 2024 and extended its support substantially with the midranger Edge 50 Neo notably getting five editions of new Android OS.
We don’t count this as a win yet because promises are easy to make. We have to wait and see whether Motorola will follow through. Of course, the company also said some AI features are being developed, but once the promises start appearing on screen, we will count them as a win.
Motorola Razr 50
| 256GB 8GB RAM | € 669.99 |
£ 642.00 |
| Show all prices | ||
